


Bittersweet

by shortie990



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Family, Mystery, Romance, Stalking, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24976420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortie990/pseuds/shortie990
Summary: It is both sweet and bitter to run into people from your past. Maybe a little too sweet for some. Vauseman. AU. Thriller. Suspenseful.
Relationships: Piper Chapman/Alex Vause
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm just going to put it out there that this story will be dark, eerie, and will involve a stalker. If that is triggering for some, please do not read.

_**Bittersweet** _

_Prologue_

_It's really bittersweet._

_Seeing you again, in the flesh._

_I never thought I would see you again like that._

_Of course, I could see you anytime I wanted or desired too, thanks to Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and that little invention of his called Facebook. But those are just pictures and words on a screen. Nothing I can reach out and touch, like you are here now only a few feet away from me, breathing in the same air._

_I could've invented Facebook, I think. Zuckerberg isn't the only genius on this planet._

_However, he isn't the point at the moment._

_You are._

_You are as you stand there among the canned vegetables, in those tight yoga clothes, which sculpt your ass perfectly, holding a can of crushed tomatoes, examining the sodium content of it. You've always been health caution, which I love about you._

_You've not let yourself go and get fat like most of the people we went to high school with. Your body is trim and perfect._

_Just thinking about it turns me on._

_However, that dream is quickly gone as someone approaches you. My feeling of desire quickly fades away like water to a flame, leaving me feeling cold and irritated. I have seen this sasquatch before, among the pictures you post on Facebook. I frown as you turn and smile at them. She says something, which I can't hear which makes you laugh._

_Oh, how I wish I was the one standing next to you, making you throw back your head, exposing that long white neck and laughing heartily. Oh, how I wish I was the one._

_I continued to watch as you say something in reply before placing the can of tomatoes in the orange plastic basket hanging off of your arm. You turn your back away from me and both of you walk down the aisle._

_I fight the urge to run after you. To call out your name and make you turn around, to face me. But I don't. I fight off my deep desires and let you go._

_Instead, I focus on your ass again in those tight black pants._

_I bit down hard on my bottom lip, preventing myself from screaming out in disgust as that sasquatch squeezes your ass._

_I tear my eyes away. I am disgusted by such a vulgar public display of affection. Isn't anything private anymore? I know if it was me with you, grocery shopping, I would never violate you in public like that._

_It takes me a few seconds to get over this sudden bitterness in my throat. And when I do calm down and finally look back, you are gone, disappearing down another aisle._

_A sudden heat of self-hatred washes through my stomach as I have let you out of my sight...again._

_But no. It's okay, I think to myself._

_I might have let you get away this time, but I know deep down inside that faith is on my side this time. I will be seeing you again._

_I won't let you escape from me like I did last time._

_No. No. No. My sweet Piper. You will be mine this time around._


	2. Wedding Bells

**_Bittersweet_ **

_Chapter 1_

Wedding Bells

_Music plays loudly from behind me, insulting my ears._

_It's a stupid pop song about love. The lyrics sound so cheesy...so cliche._

_A wedding shouldn't be built on cheesiness and overused cliche like some bad rom-com film from the '90s. They should be built on romance and classiness. A live band would be classy, I think. When I get married, I'm going to have a live band playing and a whole string quartet._

_Now that's fucking classy!_

_This venue is nice though._

_It's one of those old historic estate homes you only think about finding in England like Downton Abbey or something, not in the middle of fucking Northampton._

_But I'm not here to take in the architecture of the venue. I'm here to observe you and of course to celebrate the happy couple._

_But mostly you, sweet Piper. I'm mostly here to see you._

* * *

Piper resisted the urge to pee as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

She wiggled her hips, altering her position, trying to find one that didn't push up on her full bladder.

She should've listened to Alex, she thought, and not drank those three glasses of complimentary champagne that were being handed out as soon as you entered the venue. She stole a quick glance at her wife, who was smirking, knowing full well that Piper was suffering.

"Fuck _you_ ," whispered Piper in a low voice so that only Alex could hear her. She didn't need her laughing at her at the moment. She needed her sympathy. She shot her wife a dirty look as the need to pee became more pronounced. She squirmed again, clenching the walls of her vagina together. It was times like these that she wished she did more of those kegel exercises. She clamped her thighs together and crossed, almost twisting her right ankle painfully around her left. It was like if she somehow twisted the rest of her body into some sort of pretzel that the need to release her bladder would go away or at _least_ make her think about it less.

Alex held back the chuckle that was sitting at the back of her throat as she watched Piper through the corner of her eye. She knew that Piper didn't want to be told - " _I told you so."_

She had warned Piper to steady herself with the champagne.

It wasn't just because it was barely past noon. But also because, she knew her wife, who had been nervous about today hadn't eaten a thing that morning. If she'd had her way, they wouldn't have come to this stupid wedding in the first place. But Piper being a Chapman, despite what she told you otherwise, could not attend her best friend's wedding, it would be rude. Alex thought differently on the matter. She figured that anyone else besides Carol Chapman would give Piper the benefit of the doubt and wouldn't hold it against her if she missed her oldest friend's wedding.

The two women didn't exchange another word as they shifted their attention back to the front of the room, where the couple was exchanging their vows.

Piper had been a little hesitant at first to attend the wedding of her oldest friend, Polly, and her ex-fiance, Larry. When the blush pink invitation had first arrived at her office, six months ago; she had been both pissed and irritated that they would think she would want to be apart of their big day. She knew she was just being invited out of courtesy and politeness. She knew it was the couple's attempt at some sort of olive branch. It _was_ because of her, that they were together. But that's another story for a different time.

"And it's with great pleasure that I announce you, husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!" cried out the officiant.

"Oh, thank God," murmured Piper out of relief that the ceremony was finally over. The woman seated beside her threw her a disapproving look at overhearing this. Piper just smiled stiffly back at the woman, resisting the urge to say something snarky about the couple. The woman just huffed and turned her attention away from the blonde. Alex and Piper stood up with everyone else as they continued to cheer and clap as the newly wedded couple began to walk down the aisle.

"That was the longest ceremony ever," complained Piper as Alex snaked an arm around her waist and they began the long procession out of the ceremony space.

"I think it only felt long considering your need to pee," replied Alex with an amused smirk on her face. Alex, who wasn't the biggest fan of weddings, didn't think the ceremony had been too long at all. It had felt short to her. Not that she knew really what the appropriate amount of time was for wedding ceremonies. She'd only attend three weddings in her life so far; her cousin's, Piper's younger brother Cal's, and her own. She still couldn't quite believe that she was married...for almost a year now! She'd never thought she would be someone's wife. Of course, it had been illegal for same-sex couples to marry while she'd been growing up. But even, after it had become legal, she still hadn't thought that the whole marriage thing was for her. She hadn't given the possibility of marrying someone any real thought until Piper came into her life. It wasn't until she walked through that red door of the real estate office five years ago and first lay eyes on Piper Chapman that she wanted in on all of this marriage stuff.

"Ugh. Hopefully, this line goes by quickly," commented Piper as she strained her neck to see over the crowd. "Of course, they've decided to do the receiving line right as people exited."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at Piper's bitterness towards the couple. She knew that Piper was pissier than ever at the moment because she needed to pee and not actually about how the couple had decided to receive their guests. "We'll get you to the bathroom soon," she whispered as she pressed an open mouth kiss to her wife's temple.

It only took five minutes or so to reach the front of the receiving line, but it felt like hours to Piper as the pressure on her bladder became worse.

"Here we go…" whispered Piper into Alex's ear before turning towards the couple and forcing a smile on her face.

"Polly! Hi! You look beautiful! That dress!" Piper's voice was high and thrilled with fake joy as she met her friend's eye.

Alex could sense that Piper was faking, but it seemed to slip by Polly, who was just so overjoyed to be married that she didn't notice.

The brunette resentfully let go of Piper as she hugged Polly. Alex, who had only met the couple once on a very awkward double date four years ago now, stood back for a second watching the two old friends interact. She nervously fidgeted with her glasses watching as Piper gave Polly another hug before moving towards the groom.

That had been the last time Piper too had seen the couple in person. The only other time that Piper interacted with her old best friend was through social media.

"Hi...Congratulations!" Acknowledged Alex somewhat awkwardly towards the bride.

"Thanks," responded Polly with a modest smile. The two stared at each other, not sure if they should hug or not.

"Larry.." Piper smiled at her ex-fiancé.

"Pipes. Thank you so much for coming. It means a lot to me and Polly. I know it probably wasn't the easiest thing to do," yammered on Larry. He really did mean it, though. He was touched that Piper had decided to come to the wedding.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world," uttered Piper

Larry just shot her a look saying _bullshit_. They both knew there were a million other things that Piper rather be doing at the very moment then be here.

Piper laughed nervously before looking away briefly. Even though it had been over six years since they had been together, it still hurt to see him. Not that she still loved him. No that wasn't it. It was just all the shit they had both put each other through at the end of their relationship. If their relationship had ended differently, she would like to think they could have remained friends. She had always enjoyed Larry's company.

"Congratulations," started Piper. "I'm truly happy for the two of you."

"Thanks. I should be telling you the same thing!" interjected Larry, noticing the ring on Piper's finger. He had seen through Facebook that Piper and Alex had gotten married last year.

"What? Oh yeah! Thanks." Piper looked down briefly at the white gold wedding band which matched her engagement ring before smiling shyly at him. Her and Alex's wedding had been a small intimate affair compared to all this. The idea to even invite her ex hadn't even occurred to her.

The two couples continued to talk for a few moments longer before parting ways.

"Well that wasn't so bad…" commented Alex as she took Piper's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Piper just shot her a look. Was she crazy? She thought. That had been awkward as fuck!

"Okay! It was fucking awkward as hell. But it's over now. You can finally relax. " Alex moved behind Piper and began to massage her shoulders, kissing the back of her neck.

"Oh God yes..." moaned Piper before realizing she needed to pee still. She had forgotten momentarily while she had congratulated the newlyweds.

Piper then made a beeline for the washroom.

* * *

"Better?" asked Alex as Piper emerged from the bathroom.

"Yes, much!" smiled Piper as she approached her wife and took her hand once again. The couple stared at one another for a second longer before sharing a quick kiss.

"Let's go get a drink," beamed Piper as she began to lead Alex out of the hallway and towards the back of the venue where the cocktail hour was being held.

"Seriously!?"

"What?"

"Don't you ever learn your lesson?" teased Alex, raising her eyebrows. She looked at the blonde with a mixture of disbelief and amusement on her face. She'd thought that Piper would want to pace herself with the drinking.

"There will be food this time," replied Piper looking over her shoulder briefly at Alex and grinning.

Alex didn't say anything as she allowed Piper to led her out of the crowded room to the back patio.

The couple elbowed and fought their way through the crowd of people that had spilled out onto the patio and lawn of the venue. Once locating the bar, they again found themselves in a line.

"This place is packed," observed Alex as she adjusted her glasses and looked around at all the people surrounding them. She guessed there were at least 200 people here or more.

"Yeah. I didn't think the wedding would be this big… or traditional," spoke Piper into Alex's ear. Over the years that Piper had known Polly, she had said she wasn't a traditional person and didn't believe in marriage. But here she was having this big fat Jewish waspy wedding.

Of course, a person could change. Piper knew she had since those school girlhood days.

"The ceremony had been nice though," she added almost as an afterthought. She didn't want to appear critique of the wedding.

"I thought you said it was way too long!?" teased Alex as she wrapped her arms around Piper's waist. "Uh?"

"It _was_ long..." remarked Piper remembering suddenly her previous stance on the ceremony. "But nice."

Alex just smirked at her wife and how her mind worked sometimes.

Piper couldn't help but smile underneath Alex's gaze. She could never resist that look of hers. Not since their first meeting and not now and probably not ever, or so she most defiantly hoped not. Alex Vause was her partner, her soul mate, her one true love. She was apart of her like an extra limb.

Pressing her forehead to Alex's, she shared a loving look with her wife before leaning in for a kiss. For a second the couple forgot where they were as they got swept away in the kiss until someone from behind the cleared their throats loudly.

"Oh!" blurted Piper.

"Sorry!" Murmured Alex as she gave the annoyed-looking guy behind them an apologetic smile before moving forward in the line. There were now only a couple of people ahead of them in the drink line.

The couple made sure not to kiss again until they got their drinks. They didn't want to piss off the guy behind them then they already had. Piper was pretty sure he was Polly's cousin, he looked familiar but she couldn't place his name, so she stayed silent. Alex kept a reassuring hand on the small of Piper's back as the line once again moved.

"Hello There!" greeted the bartender cheerfully to the couple as they approached. "What can I get you started with? There are two signature drinks…" he spoke gesturing to the small print out drink menu to the right of him. "Or we do also have wine, beer, and liquor. Whatever you fancy!"

Alex and Piper briefly read over the signature drink menu before addressing the bartender.

After they got their drinks, a glass of white wine for Alex, and a signature drink for Piper which was basically a margarita. Piper did love her tequila, they went in search of food. They knew this would be the first of many(or in Piper case her fourth) drinks and would need sustenance

There were a number of wait staff hovering around offering small bite-size version of food e.g. mini grill cheeses. They had also overheard from someone passing by that there was also a brisket station somewhere. This intrigued the couple more than fancy little finger foods. Once finding the station, the couple pilled two plates high full of hot tender meat, bread, and cheese. They then made their way back out onto the lawn in search of somewhere to eat. There were a number of tables set up along the ground for people to sit and mingle about until the main reception, which was being held in the same place as the ceremony had been. After finding a table off to the side away from the majority of the crowd, they then dug into their makeshift little picnic.

* * *

"Stay here," spoke Piper as she stood up from the table. "I'm going to go get another drink."

"Okay," replied Alex as she looked up from her phone and smiled at Piper.

"Do you want another glass of wine?"

"Sure," spoke Alex as she drained the remainder of her glass. They were renting an Airbnb for the night which was close to the venue, so they didn't have to worry about drinking and driving.

Leaning forward, Piper gave Alex a passionate kiss on the mouth before flashing her a sultry smile and beginning to walk back up to the patio. Alex noted that the blonde was getting a little tipsy. She would have to monitor her wife's drinking for the next few hours, at least until dinner was served. She didn't need Piper to be a cliche ex-girlfriend getting drunk at her ex's wedding and causing some sort of scene. She knew that Piper was over being upset over the whole ordeal, but she still couldn't help but worry. Just a little.

John Legend could be heard just over the hum of conversation as Piper made her way back towards the main heart of the cocktail hour. Polly and Larry were nowhere in sight. Piper figured they were getting pictures done. She fidgeted with the tennis bracket on her left wrist as she walked towards the bar and once again lined up. She was feeling a little nervous and exposed without Alex by her side. She was starting to recognize a couple of faces in the crowd. These were all people from a different lifetime ago. Back when she had been Piper Chapman, the nice yuppy blonde lady who owned an artisan soap brand with her childhood friend.

"Piper?"

Piper turned slowly and shifted her attention onto the person who called her name. Her eye's eyes fell onto the face of a clean-shaven man.

"Hi," she replied hesitantly, flashing a polite smile. She didn't know who this man was.

"How are you?" asked the stranger, flashing a set of bright white chicklet-like teeth. "I don't think I've seen you since graduation."

Piper nervously tucked a stray hair behind her ear, trying to wreck her brain on who this guy was. He didn't look familiar at all to her. Well, he kinda did look like Bradley Cooper she thought as she continued to study him. But she was pretty sure she hadn't attended school with the movie star. There were two ways she could handle this, by being honest and telling him she didn't remember him or playing by the Chapman rules and just going along with it. There were numerous times growing up she'd seen both of her parents politely interact with people they didn't have any recognition of.

She decided to fall on the old Chapman way and play her way through the whole ordeal.

"Yes. I don't think I've seen you since graduation," she lied through her teeth. "I've been good. Life's been good. And you?"

"Things are well. I can't complain. Crazy about Harper though eh!? I can't believe we're at that age where people we went to high school are getting married and having kids. I feel like on some days I'm still eighteen and trying to decide where to apply to college...You know?"

Piper polity laughed at this. So he was a guy from high school, she thought. She found this to be a little weird that Polly would invite some random guy from high school to her wedding. But of course, Piper had lost touch with her once good friend over the last couple of years. She had no clue who was in Polly's friend circle now.

"Are you married?" asked this Bradley Cooper lookalike not missing a beat.

"Yes," spoke Piper a little too forcefully. She then flashed her left ring finger that all married people seemed to do when wanting to make a statement that they were taken.

"Lucky guy," he replied with a smile. He looked at Piper briefly before taking a sip from the drink in his hands. "Is he around? I would love to meet your husband…" He made the habit of looking around as if some tall muscular man was going to come out of nowhere and swoon over her.

" _Wife_ ," corrected Piper. "I have a wife, not a husband." She then noted the slight look of surprise flash across his face upon hearing this news. She was used to seeing this reaction from anyone from her past who was just learning she was gay. But although with the help of social media, people got all that information for themselves, avoiding awkward moments like this.

Bradley Cooper smiled at Piper. He had quickly masked his surprise. If he had really gone to high school with Piper, he would be cut from the same WASPY cloth as her and know how to politely smile and nod his head when any discomfort or awkwardness appeared in a conversation.

"Wow, a wife! That's wonderful. Is she here? I would love to meet her." Bradley once again flashed that movie star smile at Piper before looking around at the swarm of people around them. This time looking for a tall beautiful woman to come in and swoon over her.

Just as Piper opened her mouth to reply, someone again was clearing their throat loudly behind her. The blonde then realized she was holding up the line...yet again.

"Well, I should get going," Piper said, gesturing to the bar.

"I'll leave you to it!"

"Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Maybe I'll be seeing you later and you can introduce me to that _wife_ of yours."

A funny feeling came over her at the way he had said wife. However, she didn't give it much thought as she forced a smile on her face and said a final goodbye to Bradley.

She would have to ask Polly later when she got the chance on who this guy was. She didn't remember him at all.

"Hello again!" greeted the bartender from earlier. "Same as before?"

"Hi!" Cried Piper, in slight relief at seeing a familiar face. Even if it was just the bartender, who had served her and Alex just over an hour ago. "Yes, please!"

* * *

Alex couldn't help but kiss the side of Piper's neck as they sat, facing the dance floor watching as the newlyweds had their first dance.

Alex had to admit she was a little tipsy and was getting tired of this whole wedding thing. She was getting a little antsy to take her wife back to the Airbnb and eat her up for dessert.

However, Piper wasn't ready to bail out yet. She thought they should at least stay for some of the dancing. She loved to dance. It was the best part of wedding and an open bar. As she continued to watch the couple dance, she thought back to her own first dance. It had been to Alicia Keys's _If I Ain't Got You_. The song had been playing on the radio when Alex had walked into her office in search of a real estate agent.

The song playing right now was _Harvest Moon_ by Neil Young. It wasn't your typical first dance song but knowing Polly and Larry, she knew there must be some private meaning behind the song. She tried not to give this too much thought. Despite being happily married to Alex, it still stung her sometimes to think about how her best friend and fiance had stabbed her in the back. Piper closed her eyes and softly moaned as she leaned back into Alex. Allowing for the sensation of her wet hot lips on her skin to take over. All thoughts about Polly and Larry drifting away from her mind.

They stayed like this until they were broken apart by the sudden loud noise of applauding and whistling around them. The first dance had just ended. Piper opened her eyes immediately, blinking rapidly as she straightened her back and clapped along with everyone else. She felt a sudden chill run down her back as Alex's warmth left her. She looked at the couple as they left the dance floor before looking over her shoulder at Alex who shared a look with her.

The music suddenly changed to a more upbeat tune. It was now time for the father and daughter dance. It looked like Polly and her dad were doing some sort of dance routine. Afterward was the mother and son dance. This one was just the average traditional dance again.

Once all the mandatory dances were out of the way, the dance floor was open to everyone.

Piper immediately stood up and pulled Alex with her. She was itching to dance with her wife and wanted to avoid the newlyweds as they began to make the mandatory rounds to their guests. Piper wasn't in the mood to make any more small pheasants with her friend. She had already talked to her twice since the reception had started. Once had been an innocent run-in in the bathroom where Piper had gotten to ask who Bradley Cooper was. This was what she had learned: his name was Wesley Cash but in high school, it had been Nat, he had been Polly's homecoming date senior year and now was working alongside Larry as an editor for some online publication that Piper had not recognized the same of.

"Let Dance," suggested Piper before leading Alex to the dance floor where Michael Jackson's _P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)_ was blasting from the DJ booth.

* * *

The night air was cool but refreshing on their warm skin as they stepped out of the venue.

Alex squeezed Piper's hand as they carefully descended the stairs. They were both a little drunk.

Piper let out a drunken giggle as she missed the last step and almost fell. Alex's other hand gripped Piper's elbow and carefully pulled her steadily to her feet.

"You're so drunk," laughed Alex as she pulled Piper into a kiss.

"So are you," jeered Piper as she pulled away and looked at her wife.

The two women looked at each other before bursting out laughing again.

" _Mmhm_ , I can't wait to get you home," murmured Alex as she suddenly pulled Piper towards her chest and began to attack the side of Piper's neck.

The couple was waiting for their taxi to appear and take them back to the Airbnb.

As the couple continued to kiss, not having a care in the world at who saw them. They were interrupted.

"Piper!"

Both women inwardly groaned at the interruption as they stopped kissing but didn't make an attempt to pull away from each other as they looked towards the caller.

"Oh hi again," spoke Piper flatly as Wesley/Nat Cash approached them.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left," chortled Wesley as he came down the stairs. "This must be the wife," he added as he came to stand just a foot away from the couple and looked over at Alex.

"Yes...it is... Alex this is Wesley...Wesley this is Alex. My wife. We went to high school together," rambled Piper drunkenly as she introduced Alex to this somewhat still unknown person to her.

"Hi, "said Alex stiffly. She was suddenly feeling very sober as she studied his guy. She didn't have any idea who the fuck he was, but she wasn't liking him one bit as he continued to smile at her with those movie-star looks. She was feeling very territorial towards as she raised her eyebrows trying to get a good read of this guy.

"It's nice to meet you, Alex." Wesley held out his hand for Alex to shake. The brunette just looked at his outstretched hand dirtily before giving in and removing one of her hands from Piper's waist and quickly shaking it.

"I was talking to Polly earlier and she mentioned you were a real estate agent. I was wondering if I could have your card and call you sometime…" His words trailed off slightly as he appeared at Piper with hopeful eyes.

The couple looked at him questionably. Was this guy serious? Thought Alex to herself. Did he just fucking ask for her wife's phone number in front of her? She was going to fucking punch this guy out if he continued to act like this.

"I mean to talk about the real estate market...for a house," he quickly went on to explain, sensing he had said the wrong thing.

"Oh well...I don't work in Northampton actually. We're only here for the wedding. I work out of Brooklyn... New York." added Piper as if he didn't know where Brooklyn was.

"I know. Polly told me. That's why you're the perfect person for the job! I'm moving to Brooklyn in the next few weeks," shared Wesley.

"But I thought you worked with Larry?" challenged Piper. She was too drunk to be conducting business at the moment she thought as she brought a hand up to her flushed cheek and wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement at this guy.

"I do. But it's all online work so it doesn't really matter where I live…"

"Oh."

"So can I call you sometime?" pressed Wesley again towards Piper.

Just then a cab pulled up a mere foot away from where they stood at the curve. The driver gave them a honk letting them know he was here.

"Pipes...we gotta go," uttered Alex urgently. She didn't want to stand around any longer talking to this guy. Plus, she was pretty sure if they kept the driver waiting he would end up going the scenic route back to the Airbnb, costing them double in cab fare.

Piper looked blankly from the cab to Alex to Wesley and back. She was suddenly feeling very flustered.

"Pipes!" cried Alex again, trying to get her wife's attention. "NOW!"

And with the snap of a finger, Piper snapped into action. Undoing the clasp of her clunch she fumbled for a second looking for the little cardholder which she carried her business cards in. Her dad had always taught her not to leave the house without them. You never knew who you were going to run in to.

"Here," she said, thrusting the card towards him before turning sharply on her heel and following her wife into the back of the cab.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading and please leave a review!

Julie


	3. Moving Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm just going to put it out there that this story will be dark, eerie, and will involve a stalker. If that is triggering for some, please do not read.

**_Bittersweet_ **

_Chapter 2_

Moving Day

_When I first saw you…_

_Years ago, on that first day of freshman year, I knew you were the one. You hadn't yet grown into your height, you just had the slightest hint of a chest and curves. To anyone else you didn't look like much, but to me, you were an angel. The way that long blonde hair ran down your back, almost to your butt. Those blue eyes and the timid small smile playing on your lips._

_We were all a little nervous._

_Moving from middle school to high school, seemed like a big leap at the time. But now looking back at it all. It just makes me laugh...on how innocent and naive we all were back then._

_I first saw you in the hallway, talking to one of your loud annoying friends._

_Then the bell rang loudly and to my surprise, you followed me to the same classroom._

_I didn't say much to you as we rushed into the room, afraid of being late on the first day. I remembered feeling the warmth of your breath on the back of my neck as we stood for a brief second in the doorway together, taking in the large classroom with its single file desk in rows and green chalkboards along the walls. We looked around the room, looking for a familiar face in this unknown space. I knew I wouldn't find anyone. I was not only new to the school but new to the town. Just as I turned my head, noticing you hadn't moved away from the door, to introduce myself. Someone called out your name._

" _PIPER! OVER HERE!"_

_I remember watching as the nervous look disappeared from your face and was replaced with a sense of relief, that you had a friend in the class. You didn't say anything to me or even look at me as you quickly brushed past me and over to where your friend was sitting._

_I watched as you took a seat on the far side of the room, slipping off your baby-blue backpack from your shoulder and whispered something to your classmate._

_Oh how I wished I was that classmate. I wanted to be the one making you smile and laugh. I stood there for a moment longer, before someone cleared their throat loudly behind me. It was the teacher, Mr. Brady this time._

_I remembered feeling embarrassed and for a long time, when I thought about that day, I was. However, despite making a fool of myself in front of the teacher, that day I had learnt your name._

_Piper._

_Pi-per._

_Piper._

_I love the feel of your name on my tongue. The way my lips opened and closed when I spoke it, over and over again later on that day._

_Pi-per._

* * *

"PIPER!"

Piper turned her head, immediately smiled. Her heart swelling like it always did when she saw her wife.

Her wife.

Her cheeks flushed as a schoolgirl giddiness came over her.

She had a wife.

She still couldn't quite believe it.

That she _had_ a wife.

That _she_ was someone's wife.

That she was married, _really_.

She'd long ago put away girlhood fantasies of having a big Princess Di wedding. It all started on the day her high school boyfriend dumped her a week before prom. He'd been her first love and she like everyone else thought they would be together forever. And then the need to get married drifted further from her mind when she went off to Smith and started to experiment with her sexuality and she realized that she liked girls as well as boys.

Her relationships with women at the time were frowned upon and it was her political stance not to get married. Be it with a man or a woman. Marriage was not the end-all to be all. It was also just a piece of fucking paper anyways, right?

No, Piper Chapman was a free woman. She didn't need society's approval of her relationships. She just wanted love.

And she'd loved... _Oh,_ how she'd loved.

During college, she'd loved Stacey, Stella, Todd, Morgan, and Zelda.

After college, she had traveled the world for a bit, before returning home, where Polly had set her up on a string of blind dates. All guys. Guys who came from respectable backgrounds, who were all lawyers and bankers, and who her parents would approve of. At first, Piper who had been 24 at the time had humored her friend, who wasn't convinced of her sexuality. Polly thought that Piper's bisexuality was just a product of attending a historically women's college. She thought it would be something that Piper would get tired of and come to her senses. That Piper would drop the liberal women's act and become the nice white lady she was supposed to become.

However as much as she tired, Piper couldn't fit herself into that mold. As she got her real estate license she returned to picking her own dates, male or female. It didn't matter to Piper if they had a dick or a vagina. As long as there was chemistry, she was all in. She had a couple of failed relationships until she met Larry. They had met randomly and Piper despite her claim of only dating hot people, she'd fallen for Larry with his puppy dog brown eyes and curly hair. He was stupidly adorable and dorky. The complete opposite of what Piper usually went for, however, she'd taken a chance. And from there, their differences bloomed into something that felt like love. Larry was someone Piper could see herself growing comfortable with as Polly was always pointing out to her. Piper needed to find a partner who she could share a cramped timeshare in Montauk in the rain with and not want to kill afterward.

That had been Larry.

But looking back on it all now, Piper knew she hadn't been _in_ love with Larry. He'd been a comfort pillow of sorts for her. They'd been together for two years until it all went bye-bye. They'd gotten into a particularly nasty fight and it had ended up with Larry in Polly's bed.

Luckily, Piper hadn't to wait long before the next best thing came along in a tall, dark raven hair package. Alex Vause had stolen Piper's heart the moment she stepped through her office door, in search of a real estate agent, five years ago.

"PIPER!?" called out Alex again towards her. "What are you fucking smiling about?"

Alex walked through the sliding glass door and towards the large granite kitchen island where Piper stood unloading newspaper-wrapped glasses from a cardboard box.

"I'm just happy," whispered Piper as she locked eyes with Alex.

Alex smiled back at her. "I'm happy too." She reached out and ran her hand tenderly up the blonde's arm.

The couple had been married for almost a year now, but it seemed like only yesterday they were saying their vows. It had been one of the best years of their lives. The couple had just moved into their first home together, a four-story remolded townhouse in Brooklyn.

Alex leaned in and captured Piper's lips between her own. They stood there for a second getting lost in the warmth of each other's lips before breaking apart.

"Later," whispered Alex with a suggestive wag of her eyebrows. As much as she wanted to push Piper up onto the kitchen island and christened the place, she knew they couldn't. First off, they weren't alone, and second, there was still a lot of things to unpack.

"Fine," huffed Piper disappointedly as Alex pressed a quick kiss to her temple before stepping away. Just then the moving guys returned back into the house with a dark blue couch.

"Where do you want this?" asked one of the burly looking men towards the couple. They were moving everything in from the back of the house because the door was bigger, allowing the larger items they owned to fit no problem into the house. Plus the street at the front of the house was too narrow, they needed to use the back alley which was larger that ran along with the back garden of the house.

"This way," replied Alex as she gestured with the clip of her head for the men to follow her out of the kitchen and down the hallway passed the staircase and dining room to the main floor living room. The house was fully renovated, giving it a modern meets old-world feel to it. The house had come with a hefty price tag, but both women had fallen in love with the place when it first came on the market and couldn't see themselves living anywhere else. This was going to be their forever home.

Piper smiled to herself again as she returned to her task at hand of unwrapping the wine glasses.

It had been two weeks since Larry and Polly's wedding. Piper was more relaxed now then she'd been then. Ever since she had gotten the invitation to the wedding she'd been in some sort of state. But now that it was passed, she felt like she could return back to her own life with Alex. Everything was falling perfectly into place for them. They were married and had this house now and soon hopefully a baby.

* * *

The night was cool and calm as the sounds of the city filtering into the house from the open back door. It was the end of summer, the days were still warm and hot, but at night the crispness of autumn was present.

After a long and winded day of moving, the couple could relax. There were still a few boxes to unpack but the majority of it was done.

The married couple was seated at the kitchen island. Piper had her feet on Alex's lap, who was gently massaging them. An open bottle of champagne and two flutes rested between them on the surface of the island. The champagne had been a present from Piper's parents. Both Piper and Alex had been surprised by Carol and Bill Chapman's very expensive house gift. It had taken Piper's parents time to adjust to Piper's chosen lifestyle and even more in her choice in a wife. But slowly they were letting their guards down and finally accepting Alex as a very important part of their daughter's life.

What changed the Chapmans' mind on Alex, you ask?

That's still a bit of a mystery. Piper guessed it was around the time that she and Alex got engaged. They'd been together for three years at that point and living together for two. However, there was still tension between Alex and Piper's parents. It didn't help matters that they had very different viewpoints on pretty much everything. But once Alex asked for permission from Bill to marry his daughter. Things shifted, very slowly but eventually, family dinners became less awkward and tense. And conversation became civil, almost pleasant at times.

Even though two years had passed since Alex had asked for Piper's hand, the brunette was still surprised when the notorious stuck up Chapmans' were civil to her. Like coming around this afternoon with a house warming hamper filled with crusty French bread, gourmet cheeses, candied nuts, pink Himalayan salt, 80% dark chocolate, and a bottle of Moet champagne.

" _Mmhmm_ , that feels good," moaned Piper softly as Alex dug her fingers into the arch of her left foot.

Alex gave her wife a cheeky grin as she repeated the touch. She loved hearing those soft purr-like sounds coming out of Piper's mouth. Even though they'd been together for five years now, the noises never got old. Alex wagged her eyebrows playfully as she lightened her touch and teased a finger down the bottom of Piper's foot. This earned her another purr from her wife. A flicker of arousal made itself known in the pit of her stomach at hearing this noise.

"You know...what we still have to do," Alex appeared over the rims of her glasses, shooting her wife a piercing gaze. Her hands moved slowly past Piper's ankle and along the defined curve of the muscle of her calf.

"What?" asked Piper quietly, already knowing the answer.

"We still have to christen the house…" Alex's voice was low as her hands which were now at Piper's knee began to trace circles with the pads of her fingers.

Piper grinned, her eyes sparkling with arousal at the idea of what Alex was proposing. They did indeed have to christen the place. Reaching out for the flute, Piper quickly drained the remainder of the champagne before untangling herself from Alex and getting down from her seat.

Alex mimicked her wife's movements, finishing off her own glass and hopping off the bar seat.

"Where should we do it?" asked Piper as she intertwined her fingers with Alex's and looked at her with need. Her arousal was very much present now as the brunette continued to stare at her for a second.

"Here," replied Alex simply as she pushed her glasses on top of her head. She raised her eyebrows seductively at the blonde.

"Here!?" Piper couldn't help but be a little shocked at what her wife was suggesting. She was up for pretty much doing it anywhere but in the kitchen? Were they ate? She wasn't so sure.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the other woman's reaction at what she was suggesting.

"Come on Pipes...this island is just screaming to be fucked on!" She didn't drop her wife's hand as she gestured with her free on towards the sparking granite tabletop. Yes, the island was large, beautiful, and practical, but it was also a good surface to have sex on. Alex had wanted to make love to Piper on the island the very second she had first seen it during the first house viewing. And now that the house was theirs, she didn't see any reason why they couldn't make that little fantasy of hers come true.

"But it's where we are going to eat," argued Piper back weakly. She knew, in the end, she was going to cave into her wife. She always did.

Alex gave her wife a look before bringing both of her hands up to the sides of her face and kissing her deeply on the lips. She knew that once she got Piper to stop talking that she would agree to anything she said.

Piper groaned as the warmth of Alex's mouth took over. The tip of her tongue running along the edge of her lower lip before urgently seeking access inside. Piper immediately responded to Alex's touch, parting opening her lips and allowing her tongue to slip inside. The blonde melted into her wife as their tongue coiled around each other. She ran her hands through Alex's hair and down the sides of her neck. All thoughts of where they would eat fizzed from her mind as the kiss continued to build with passion.

_I urge myself to look away._

_This isn't right, I think. I shouldn't be watching. However as much as my mind urges my body to turn away, it doesn't._

_It's like someone has superglued the soles of my shoes to the floor. I am forever stuck watching as you tongue fuck your wife. Luckily I can't hear the sounds of your kissing despite the open door._

_I hadn't meant to come on by. I know it's too soon but curiosity got the better of me. I saw through Facebook that you were moving today. And knowing you, you would want to show off the beautiful house that you and that wife of yours had purchased. You don't do it in a smug way. No, you are just happy and want to share your happiness with others. Some might say this is the narcissist in you wanting to show off your expansive home and how well off you are. Whoever says that is just jealous of you Piper._

_Anyways, after watching those little video clips that they call Stories on your feed giving off the briefest of house tours. I was able to catch a glimpse of the street in the background in one of the videos, you are not in the shot, you are showing off your wife, carrying a box. She just gives the smallest of waves before shaking her head in amusement. Your sweet laughter can be heard in the background before it ends fading into another one. I am able to watch this story a second time, pausing it to get a screenshot before it fades into another. Some might not be able to do much with just a single little picture of a street in the background. But I am not just anyone and thanks to the help of Google Street view, it doesn't take long to bring up the street and a view of your newly purchased house._

_It is a beautiful house, I have to admit._

_You did well Piper._

_I am not supposed to be meeting you until another week, but I can't contain my excitement. I just arrived in New York City a couple of days ago. I didn't expect to see you so soon again. But mere minutes after you posted, I knew it was destiny, telling me to find you. And now, here I am. Luckily, the neighbours behind you are out of town. These old townhouses are way too easy to break-in to. I hope yours, Piper has better locks on it then this one did. There are too many creeps and weirdos walking the street nowadays that can easily slip inside._

_Despite myself, I feel myself getting hard watching as you are lifted up and placed on top of the kitchen island. You are shirtless, those beautiful breasts of yours on display for the world to see._

_I want to look away, but again I can't. You are a beauty to behold. I feel shame and disgust wash over me as my desire for you burns on. I look past your wife as she finishes undressing you and I focus solely on you._

_I imagine it's me about to go down on you and give you pleasure and not this brunette._

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review.

Julie


	4. Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm just going to put it out there that this story will be dark, eerie, and will involve a stalker. If that is triggering for some, please do not read.

**_Bittersweet_ **

_Chapter 3_

Meetings 

The early morning air was crisp as Piper’s running shoes pounded the sidewalk.

She loved the quietness of the little neighborhood park in the mornings. She ran pretty much every morning. It was her ritual, along with coffee and overnight oats. She’d at one point tried to get Alex to join her, but that had been a complete fail. Her wife didn’t see the appeal of running as Piper did. Alex said it reminded her too much of high school gym class. She’d rather use the hour for sleep than exercise.

The sudden heat of desire filled Piper’s loins at the thought of what waited for her at home. It had also become part of her morning ritual to surprise Alex in bed with an intense morning love session or sometimes in the shower if they were running late and Alex was up for it. Her wife had an ongoing dislike for shower sex, no matter how many times Piper tried to convince her otherwise.

Piper took a shortcut across the park lawn, and off of the path as the need to get home became too pressing. She had a busy appointment filled day ahead of her. She probably wouldn’t make it home until late in the evening.

So this morning’s sex session was especially needed.

Just as she was turning onto the sidewalk again, someone ran painfully into her shoulder.

“What the fucking hell?” she murmured as she was knocked sideways but caught herself before she fell.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” asked the male who had run into her.

“Yeah. I’m fine, thanks,” replied Piper as she took one of her AirPods out and rubbed her arm.

“Oh my god, Piper!”

The blonde’s heart began to beat even harder at the mention of her name on this stranger’s lips. Her eyes immediately snapped up and onto the face of the male in front of her. Her blue eyes locked with Bradley Cooper.

“Hi,” she murmured trying to keep her irritation at bay.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” asked Wesley, his blue eyes piercing with concern at Piper. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going…”

“It’s fine really.” Piper forced a tight smile on her face as she continued to rub at the side of her arm. She knew she might have some bruising, but that was it. The impact had not been hard enough to break any bones or anything serious.

“I didn’t know you lived in this area,” pressed Wesley.

“Yeah,” replied Piper awkwardly. In her brief interactions with her old classmate at Polly’s wedding, she didn’t remember ever discussing where she lived, just that she worked in the city.

“It’s funny. This is actually the neighborhood I would love to live in,” explained Wesley pleasantly to Piper.

“Oh… yeah. It’s a nice neighborhood,” agreed the blonde. She felt a little uneasy about running into one of her clients so close to her own house. Yes, her office wasn’t so far away from here, but she liked to keep her private life and professional life separated from each other when she could.

“Well, I won’t keep you! It’s not like I won’t be seeing you later,” explained Wesley with an easy smile spreading across his face.

Piper laughed nervously at this. “Yes. I’ll be seeing you later.”

Wesley was one of many appointments she had with clients today. It was only the beginning phase of them working together. She was a little hesitant to take him on as a client after he called her up about a week after the wedding. However, she put all these feelings aside and agreed to take him on; tacking her business side. Like her father had taught her, business was business.

With that, Wesley apologized again for running into her before slipping a pair of Oakley sunglasses over his eyes and beginning to take off in a run. Piper watched him go and disappear into the park, before putting her AirPod back into her ear and setting off in the opposite direction.

By the time she got home, all thoughts of Wesley were faded from her mind as the promise of morning sex with her wife happily presented itself again.

Running up the stairs of the stoop, she quickly opened the front door and slipped into the foyer of the house. Locking the door behind her, Piper toed off her running shoes, not bothering to undo them. Next, she took out her AirPods and discarded them, along with her house key and phone, into the tray by the door. Her body was pumping with adrenaline as she made her way up the stairs and onto the second-floor landing. She turned right, heading towards the master bedroom.

The bedroom door was ajar.

Piper stood in the door frame for a second or two admiring her wife’s backside. She wasn’t surprised that she was still sleeping. Alex was always sleeping when she came home from her runs. She quietly stepped into the room, making sure to avoid the one creaky spot of the floorboards. She took two more careful steps before pouncing onto the bed like a cat.

“FUCK!” cried out Alex as she was suddenly jolted awake.

“What the fuck, Pipes?!” she grumbled as she looked over at Piper darkly in annoyance.

Piper just grinned cheekily at the brunette. She knew that Alex’s irritation wouldn’t last long. This wasn’t the first time she’d waken Alex up with a start and it probably wouldn’t be the last either. The blonde got a sick thrill from scaring her wife like she just had.

Alex didn’t say anything as she let out a small huff before rolling onto her back. She threw an arm over her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. She knew that there would be no point though as she tried to calm her racing heart; Piper was just going to bug her again.

Piper moved her body slowly towards Alex, inch by inch. Her eyes never left Alex’s face as she pressed up to her side, stretching out her body. Her left hand came to rest on her wife’s stomach while her right went to the back of her head, gently running her fingers along her scalp.

“God, you stink,” commented Alex as she caught a slight whiff of Piper’s sweat.

Piper’s smile grew at this. She took no offense to her wife’s comment. She instead used it to her advantage. She pressed her sweaty body further up against Alex’s.

“Why are you so evil?” asked Alex as she removed her arm from her face and looked over at Piper. “Uh? Why can’t you just let me sleep in for once?” There was a teasing tone to the brunette’s words as she continued to glare at her wife. Yes, she loved her sleep, but she loved sex with her wife more. She loved these morning sex romps just as much as Piper did.

Piper just giggled, not saying a word as she slowly slipped her left hand underneath Alex’s t-shirt and moved it to the base of her chest. She leaned forward and captured Alex’s bottom lip between her own as her fingers slid upwards and cupped her bare breast.

The brunette let out a small groan as a wave of pleasure suddenly flickered in the pit of her stomach. Piper sucked hard on Alex’s lip before capturing her mouth into a soft kiss. Alex kissed her immediately back, pulling her on top of her.

Things quickly escalated from there for the married couple.

Piper straddled Alex’s hips as her tongue pushed its way into the warm depth of Alex’s mouth. A shiver went down the blonde’s spine as Alex’s tongue lightly reciprocated back. As tongues danced, hands began to explore with need. Piper had pushed Alex’s shirt all the way up her chest, revealing full, pillowy breasts. Her hands eagerly pushed and kneaded at the flesh, rolling pink nipples between her thumb and forefinger. This movement earned her another moan of approval from her wife.

After being together for so long, they each knew all the right little spots to touch and kiss at; not only making their sexual encounters always enjoyable, but quick if needed to be.

Alex ran her hands through the mess of Piper’s hair, eagerly pulling it out of its ponytail before traveling down the sides of her neck and down her back. They slipped underneath Piper’s sweat-drenched shirt, drawing brief circles along her sides before moving to the front. They stayed there for a moment playing with Piper’s small round breasts, mimicking her wife’s movements.

Soon the need to breathe became too much as they tore their mouths from one another. They stared at each other for a moment, catching their breaths before Piper was standing up and slipping out of her tight leggings and underwear. She didn’t bother to take off her shirt or socks even as she climbed back onto the bed. Alex watched Piper briefly before slipping off her own pajama bottoms and underwear. She kicked them to the edge of the bed, along with the duvet cover.

They smiled at one another before Piper lay down on her side beside Alex. She kissed her wife passionately on the lips as her hand slid down between her legs. She brushed her middle finger ever so lightly against her clit before sliding further down into her folds. Alex purred into the kiss at this. Her own hand went to Piper’s cunt. Piper immediately lifted her left leg and bent it, giving Alex better access.

The bedroom soon filled with the sounds of their lovemaking as fingers worked quickly against velvety wet folds and clits.

* * *

Alex drummed her fingers along the long wooden table as she waited for her business partner to show up. They were going to have a taste test of the beer they were currently trying to craft.

Alex, who had never gone to business school or had any post-secondary education, had gotten quite lucky when she opened The Litchfield Craft Brewery on a whim. She’d always had a love for beer, especially craft ones. She had gotten a job bartending at a Brewpub shortly after moving to the city after her twenty-first birthday. It was there she learned the art of brewing. The rest is kinda history. She worked at the brewpub and another restaurant bartending until she had enough money to start her own craft beer company. She also had a wonderful business partner, Nicky, who helped come up with the rest of the funds needed to get the company off the ground. The Litchfield Craft Brewery was now six years old and going strong.

“Yo! Vause!” cried out a small, wild-maned woman with a strong New York accent.

“Nichols!” Alex called back with a grin as her business partner slid into the seat across from her.

“Sorry, I’m late. Luschek was fuckin’ late picking up the delivery- again,” explained Nicky as she rubbed the side of her face.

Alex just rolled her eyes at hearing this. Luschek was one of the numerous drivers from a local delivery company they used to ship out products to their vendors. He was always late.

“Great. Another fucking phone call I have to make to Caputo,” murmured Alex, adding yet another thing she’d need to do before she could go home.

“Hey. I can make the phone call if you want. I’ve no problem giving fucking Caputo a piece of my mind,” offered Nicky happily. Her dark eyes danced with amusement and her signature shit-eating grin spread across her features as she looked on at her business partner.

Joe Caputo owned and ran Caputo & Sons Delivery service. They weren’t exactly known for being on time or having the best drivers, but they were affordable. Alex always thought about switching to a more reliable delivery service but never actually made the move. Everyone in the restaurant business knew of Caputo & Sons. Despite his drivers being shit, Joe was actually a decent guy to work with. He had always been fair with Alex, which was huge considering that her brewery was the only female-owned-and-operated brewery in the male-dominated industry there in Litchfield.

“Be my guest,” laughed Alex. That was one less thing off of her plate to deal with. She still had a bunch of paperwork waiting on her desk before she could call it a night. “It was a good thing that Piper was going to be late coming home too,” she thought briefly to herself.

“Should we get started?” asked Alex.

“Let’s!” chimed Nicky as she produced a small crushed notebook from her back pocket and removed the pen tucked behind her ear.

Alex couldn’t help but smile as Nicky flipped to a new page in her notebook and scribbled the date and the name of the beer they were about to taste. A comforting silence fell over the two women as Alex popped off the cap from the bottle of beer, which sat in between them and poured out two glasses. As they tasted and took notes on the beer, the conversation drifted naturally away from work and to personal matters.

“So any news on the baby-making front?” asked Nicky as she finished off her glass of beer. Her dark eyes were filled with curiosity as she raised an eyebrow at the taller woman.

“Not really,” spoke Alex in a quiet voice. “We have an appointment next week to meet with the fertility clinic, but that’s it so far.” The brunette let out a sigh as she slouched a little in her seat. She nervously reached up and played with her glasses. She felt her stomach twist, as a wave of nausea suddenly washed over her. She got nervous and nauseous every time she thought about the upcoming appointment. They’d had it scheduled for over two months now. She knew her wife was eager to start a family, but she was still a little apprehensive about it. She never considered herself a kid person before and never thought of becoming someone’s mom, especially since knowing she was gay. However, she knew for certain that Piper had dreams of becoming a mom and Alex would do anything in the world to make her wife happy.

“Didn’t you already fucking meet with the clinic?”

“No! It’s impossible to get an appointment with these guys. We were on a fucking waiting list to get an appointment and that was months ago. We’ve had this appointment for two months now! That’s just to talk to the damn doctor. Who knows how long it will even take to get the whole process even started…” ranted off Alex in slight frustration. She hated this whole fertility clinic thing, but she knew they had no other real choices on the matter, besides adoption.

“Ah, the joys of being lesbians!” laughed Nicky in a sing-song voice.

Alex just threw her coworker a dirty look before gathering up her empty glass and standing up. She made her excuses to Nicky as she headed towards her office. She could feel a headache coming on. She didn’t want to think about babies or fertility treatments any longer. She knew Nicky was only trying to help in her own way, but she wasn’t in the mood for banter. Nicky, who was very much still single at the moment, couldn’t quite understand what she was going through at the moment.

* * *

The radio played softly in the background as Piper typed away on her computer. She’d just come from several house viewings and was currently waiting for her next appointment to arrive.

As she busied herself with work, she didn’t hear her secretary knock on her door.

“Ms. Chapman?” spoke Tasha politely as she pushed open Piper’s door.

“Huh?” Piper looked up slowly from her computer screen and over at the young black girl at her door. "Yes, Tasha?"

“Your next appointment is here to see you,” explained Tasha

“Oh ok. Thank you, Tasha,” replied Piper as she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. “You can go home by the way.”

“Are you sure, Ms. Chapman?” asked Tasha in surprise. It was only just past five now. The young secretary usually worked until at least six.

“Yes. Yes. Go home. I’ll lock up the office. You go home and enjoy the rest of your night.”

“Thank you!” squealed Tasha, not being able to mask her joy at getting off early.

Piper smiled at the younger woman’s happiness. “I’ll see you on Tuesday!”

“Yes. See you then Ms. Chapman!” Tasha flashed a smile at the blonde before giving her a wave and heading back to her own small desk at the front of the office.

Piper brushed invisible crumbs from her skirt before she followed her young secretary out of the office and towards the small reception area. Bradley Cooper’s blue eyes snapped towards Piper at hearing the sound of her approach. He was immediately on his feet, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Good Afternoon, Piper.”

“Good Afternoon,” spoke Piper politely. She pretended she hadn’t run into her client earlier this morning and that it was the first time seeing him since Polly’s wedding. “How are you?” she asked as she gestured for him to follow her into her office.

“Good Night, Ms. Chapman,” Tasha spoke as they passed her desk.

Piper turned her head at this and bid the young girl good night.

“Chapman? Does that mean your wife took your name?” asked Wesley out of curiosity as Piper closed the office door behind him and gestured for him to take a seat in one of the chairs facing her desk.

“No. We decided to keep our own names,” replied Piper briefly, not wanting to give too many personal details away. A slight flicker of annoyance washed over her as she moved around her desk and took a seat across from her client. She made sure that her face only reflected calm as she once again looked on at this Bradley Cooper look-alike.

“Very modern of you,” Wesley teased. His blue eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands firmly in his lap.

Piper just gave him a stiff smile before shrugging her shoulders slightly. She didn’t think of it as anything really. Just because she was married didn’t mean she had to give up her whole identity. Her name was her own and both she and Alex had decided that they wanted to keep them. That was it. It wasn’t supposed to be some big modern, feminist statement. It was just simply their choice.

Piper then directed the conversation away from her marriage and personal life and onto why her client was here to see real estate. She went through her checklist of questions. She barely needed to look at the list she had long ago crafted in order to get to know her clients and assess their needs in a property. She quickly jotted down Wesley's answers as he spoke them.

Through this little questionnaire, Piper learned that; Wesley was single, made a good amount of money with being an editor, and liked to garden. He wanted somewhere he could set down roots and start a family, once he met the right woman, of course. 

Piper got an uncomfortable feeling as he said that last part, then gave her a small wink. She knew he probably thought he was being all cute and innocent at the moment, but it really creeped her out. Not that she wasn’t used to the male gaze. She wasn’t arrogant. She knew she was attractive. She used to use it to her advantage all the time when she was younger. However, things were different now. She was married to Alex. The only people she really flirted nowadays with were old men at the grocery store. Even then, she hardly noticed she was doing it. Alex was always making fun of her for it.

But no, this flirting, if you could call it that, was only one-sided and it wasn’t on Piper’s side.

Piper lowered her eyes to look down at the completed list of questions before running a hand through her hair. She lifted her attention back onto her client and gave him her best professional smile.

“Well, I think we've covered everything today. I’ll email you in the next couple of days with a few listings that I think will fit your needs and wants. And if anything catches your interest, then we can make arrangements to do a few viewings,” explained Piper. She wanted to wrap up this appointment as soon as possible. She was aching to go home and snuggle up to her wife.

“Sounds great!” commented Wesley enthusiastically.

Piper then quickly pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. “I’ll see you out,” she spoke as she moved towards the door. Wesley followed close behind her as she led them out of her office and to the main entrance.

“Thank you for everything, Piper. You’re really helping me out here,” spoke Wesley as they came to stand at the office door. He once again flashed her a movie-star smile, all shiny white teeth, and pink lips.

“It’s no problem,” stated Piper awkwardly, a slight flush rising in her cheeks. “I’m just doing my job.” She gave out a nervous laugh as they stared at one another for a brief moment, before breaking the silence.

“I’ll be in touch. Have a good night, Mr. Cash.” She hoped by using his surname that she was shutting down all his intentions of becoming too friendly.

If he was offended or noticed her change in tone, he hid it well. The friendly open smile remained on his face as he shook her hand and bid her a good night. Piper held a tight smile on her face as Wesley opened the door and stepped out into the night. She waited until the door shut firmly behind him before letting out a relieved sigh.

* * *

_Thunder clasps loudly in the distance, but I pay no attention to the late summer storm as I recline back into the pillows of the couch and sigh happily._

_Today had been a good day,” I can’t help but marvel._

_I take a generous sip of the whiskey in my hand. I allow for the low burn in my throat to die down before reaching for my open laptop beside me and pulling it to my lap._

_My eyes scan over the multiple tabs I have open before clicking on one. I scroll through your Instagram feed for a few minutes; looking and studying the multiple photos I have already come to memorize. It’s been two days since you last posted._

_It was a picture of you and your wife sitting on your new patio furniture. There’s a grey knitted blanket thrown over both of your shoulders, creating an instant burrito. “Cozy and warm on our new patio,” reads the caption. I click to the right to see the other pictures you added with the post. There is one showing off your said new furniture. The next is of two bottles of beer and a spread of snacks. I scroll down to see what hashtags you use. You don’t use a whole novel worth of hashtags as some people do. Yours are picked and crafted critically._

_#cozy #wifey #happylife #newpatio #humpday #litchfieldbrewery._

_It’s the last one that drew my attention. I click on it and the screen changes to a hundred other posts using the same hashtag. It doesn’t take me long to find their own account. It looks like it is owned by your wifey and some smaller women. I scroll through their feed but soon grew bored noticing there is no notice of you on the page._

_I quickly switch away from Instagram and on to Facebook._

_I find something way more interesting here than your wife’s little brewery. I discover that you have posted, mere minutes ago, on a family planning group page specifically for queer people. Now usually, this group is private and I normally would have no interest in such a group, for I am neither queer nor trying to have a baby. However, it is an interest to me because it’s an interest to you, Piper._

_I, of course, don’t use my real Facebook account. No, I use a fake one. My name is Casher Jones and I am happily married to my husband, Jacob Edwards. (Thanks Twilight for the inspiration) With a few photoshopped pictures, I create a happy fake feed of a gay married couple. This way, no one can question me as I interact in the group. Which is rare, but it gives me an excuse to talk to you when needed._

_I see you’re seeking advice about what to expect at your first appointment at a fertility clinic. I scroll through the other posts in the group before I catch that someone had replied to you, a Maggie Nowak. I don’t really care about what advice she is giving you per se. It’s all that “be prepared with all your questions and such you want to ask the doctor, blah, blah, blah…”_

_I take a swig from my whiskey, watching as you reply back to Maggie. It’s then I notice she asked you a question, about what clinic you are going to._

_It’s this that makes my heart begin to race in anticipation of what you are going to write._

_I can’t help but smile as you not only write the clinic’s name but when your appointment is next week. As Maggie and you continue to correspond, I make sure to mark my calendar for the day of your appointment next week. You don’t share the time, though._

_Smart girl! You really shouldn’t overshare information like that to strangers, Piper._


End file.
